Our major expenses for this project are as follows:
* Studio space and recording equipment. We want to start with the best vocal audio we can get, and we won't get that if we're sitting around a laptop mic in somebody's living room. The plan is to rent a set of standard vocal mics and record in a studio space large enough to accommodate each episode's whole cast. This way, we can interact, react to each other, and all follow the story as it takes shape.
* Sound effects. We want these audiodramas to create Lovecraftian worlds in your minds, and one effective way to do that is with sound effects. Also, we want to obey the law, and that means paying fair prices to the sound-effect engineers who've created them.
* Mastering. We want to make sure that an episode of Tales from the Black Vault sounds good on your headphones. We want to make sure it sounds good in your living room. We want to make sure it sounds good in your car. The art of making a recording sound good *everywhere* is called "mastering", and a good mastering engineer is worth their weight in gold. We're employing Emerald City Productions in Washington, D. C. to master each of our episodes.

H. P. Lovecraft was arguably the greatest horror writer of all time. The Cthulhu mythos? That was him. Every story of uncovering unspeakable evil -- every It, every X-Files, every Alien -- owes a massive debt to his work. Put it this way: think of your favorite horror writer. That person is either (1) H. P. Lovecraft or (2) a huge fan of H. P. Lovecraft.
Lovecraft wrote in the 1920s and 1930s in a style called "cosmic horror". It's not the horror of "there's a guy in the basement with a knife", but the fear you get in the pit of your stomach when you look out at a starry sky, and suddenly feel unimaginably small. The heroes of Lovecraft's stories uncover ancient evils, unfathomable gods, and even alternate worlds that threaten to engulf and destroy our own.
So long as the universe is large and we are small, Lovecraft's work will always be relevant. Oh! And if you've never read anything of his, <a href="http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecallofcthulhu.htm">"The Call of Cthulhu"</a> is a great starting point. Find a dark and spooky place and have yourself a good fright.

First things first: we *love* Whose Line Is It, Anyway. Love it. Those are some freakishly talented and hilarious improvisors. That said, The Black Vault does improv a little differently. If you show up to a Black Vault show, you won't see short, funny sketches and songs and games. Instead, you'll see a full-length play that happens to be made up on the spot. And if that play is funny, trust us, that's only a quick laugh en route to unspeakable horror. This is the style of improv we'll showcase in Tales from the Black Vault.

Last updated: Fri, Oct 31 2014 12:45 am EDT

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